Clover-harvester



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN KRAUSER, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA.

CLOVER-HARVESTER.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 9,055, dated June 2 2, 1852.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN KRAUSER, of Reading, Berks county, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clover-Seed Gatherers; and I hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

Descrz'pzfz'on.-In the accompanying drawing C, Figures 2 and 3 represents a rectangular platform tenoned into the side cheeks N, Figs. l, 2, and 3 and supported in front by means of two sled runners M while the rear end of the machine is supported by two wheels H H placed opposite to each other, the platform C receives the clover heads after they are stripped from the plants by the action of the teeth and rake. To prevent the heads from rolling off the plat-form it is provided with two raised sides D and an end board D2 across its hind end, its front end being open to receive the clover heads from the teeth T. Two vibrating levers f j' are placed one on each side of the machine with suitable bearings B and a round hole is made through each front end of t-he said levers through which a round tenon c indicated by the dotted lines in Fig.,2 previously cut upon each end of the adjustable stock fm, is made to pass so as to allow said tenon to turn or revolve freely therein. The hinder ends of the levers f j' are connected together by t-he cross beam s. To the rear of said cross beam and midway between the two levers f f is affixed a metallic sheath J into which the wooden handle J is inserted, to the top and bottom side of this sheath are cast two projections y and which are made to grasp t-he beam s Fig. 5 in such a manner that by passing the bolt t vertically through the projections a"l y and beam s t-he handle J shall be allowed suiiicient lateral motion to enable the operator of the machine to gear the top projection (which is longer than the bottom one) into any of the teeth or notches of t-he metallic rack R Fig. 1. The metallic rack R is screwed permanently in a vertical position to the rear of the raised slide D? so that when the teeth are elevated to any given height and the projection w is inserted by a proper movement of the handle J into a corresponding notch of the rack R the teeth T will be permanently secured in the position previously given to them. Fig. 4 is a side view of the rack R on a larger scale and Fig. 5 is a section of the sheath J beam s handle J projections as g/ and bolt t taken through the dotted lines a a. Fig. 2 (the same letters refer to like parts in all the figures). By means of the handle J the attendant or operator of the machine can easily elevate or depress the hind ends of the levers f f which will have an opposite effect upon their front ends and in this way the adjustable stock m to which the teeth are affixed are elevated and depressed when required so as to suit the range of teeth to clover of different heights in the same field. From the front side of the stock m the teeth T project forward and on its rear side, nearly the entire length of the arms n n. project backward, the whole being rigidly connected together. The rear ends of the arms n n have slots made in them through which pins o Figs. l and 2 project from the rear sides of the cheeks N to support them. Vhen the teeth are elevated or depressed they vibrate in an arc whose center being the point 0 is so distant that their angle with the ground is not altered enough within the limit of their range of motion to affect appreciably their operation. It will be observed that in all machines of this kind hitherto constructed the teeth or fingers have been afIiXed immediately to the front of the platform or t-he same in effect so that said platform must always accompany the teeth when the latter are elevated or depressed. But in the machine herein described the platform C is stationary and the adjustable stock m is placed considerably in advance of its front edge so that it is necessary to form a suitable connection between the rear side of the stock m and the front part of the platform C in order to conduct the clover balls into the said platform and prevent their escape in front when the teeth are elevated or depressed. This connection is practically effected by means of a board A Figs. 2 and 3 termed a hinge board or trap lid, made of a length equal to the width of t-he platform C and of a width equal to the dist-ance apart of the rear side of the stock m andA front of the platform C. The front edge of this board is so hinged 7L Fig. 3 tof the stock m as to allow its (the board) rear edge to'rest and move freely upon the front of the platform C as seen at o Fig. 3 when the stock is elevated or depressed. This same connectionV can be effected by using any elastic or pliable material such as leather or canvas instead of a board. The trap lid mayV be employed to subserve the purposes of the platform C by extending it to the rear end of said platform in which case the side cheeks N are held in their respective positions by tenoning two or more cross sticks of timber into them. The trap lid may be hinged at its rear end to said cheeks so as to allow of a free vertical motion to the teeth in front. The sides D may be attached to the lid, and rise and fall with it while the end board D2 is stationary.

It will be observed in Fig. 3 which is a section of Fig. 2 taken through the dotted -lines a a that the front of the platform C is provided with a raised edge upon which the rear of the board A rests by this the escape of seed and Vballs is effectually pre` vented. The same may be effected by other equivalent means. the clover stands thick and rank is operated upon by this machine t-he teeth are observed frequently to choke or clog from the too rapid accumulation of heads which if not immediately removed will cause them to pack between the teeth and thus render the machine entirely inoperative until freed from its incumbrance. To remedy this defect I have mounted immediately .over the teeth a self acting revolving rake, constructed aflixed and operated as follows: To each of the front ends of the arms n n is mounted an upright chair or support ZJ Fig. l having a suitable opening for receiving the journals of the axis o Figs. 2 and 3. Into this axis u are framed eight or more cross pieces P. .-P alternately at right angles to each other and which are termed the arms of the rake to the extremities of which are bolted eight or more wings W .-l Figs. l, 2 and 3. These wings are in length about equal to half the width of the range of teeth. To the outer edge of each of these wings is aflixed a knife or sharp blade l Fig.' 3 which knives are so adjusted that when the heads of clover come'within the sphere of their action they will be cut off and thrust into the platform C. -Instead of a knife a thin strip of iron so applied as to protect Athe outer edge of the wings can be used in which case the heads of clover will be raked or scraped into the platform C as they are taken from the plants by the action of the teeth and rake. It will be seen in Fig. 2 that the wings in pairs of two and consequently the knives affixed to them are so positioned between the arms of the rake When a field in which= (to the extremities of which they are attached) as to cause them to converge toward each other so as to meet about half way between -thev extremities of the axis v as at a Fig. 2 thereby making an angle similar to lthe letter V. This angle can be varied in the construction of the rake by increasing or decreasing the distance apart of the two arms to which they are severally attached.. It may also be varied so as to make the apex of the angle enter the concave first instead of last as before mentioned. By means of this arrangement of the knives their operation is much facilitated.

It will be seen in Figs. l and 3 that the knives are made to pass a concave depression made near the rear of the top surface of the teeth. This concave in the teeth is the segment of a circle formed by a radius equal y to half the diameter of the rake and is made for the purpose of allowing a more Aextended action to the knives upon the surface of the teeth, by which device the machine is made to work satisfactory under more unfavorable circumstances than otherwise. For the purpose of giving to this revolving rake the required velocity a small bevel cog wheel m Figs. l and 2 about four inches in diameter is permanently fixed upon one end of the axis v and a larger cog wheel of about nine inches diameter is geared into the wheel m and receives its motion from a smaller wheel x2 near the rear of the machine. Both these wheels are keyed upon the sameshaft 0 which has two supports the one in front of the wheel m is made by inserting the end of the shaft into the upper part of the chair b as indicated by the dotted line 0'; the other support is placed near the rear end of the shaft and is made by passing the shaft through a metallic eye e riveted to the plate p Fig. l so as to allow it to turn like a swivel in order to accommodate itself to the vibrations of the shaft 0 produced by elevating or depressing the teeth as described. The wheel :r2 receives its motion from the large cog wheel w3 which is permanently secured to the wheel H and revolves with it as the machine advances forward.

To the periphery of the wheel H there can be aiiixecl a suitable number of spurs or teeth which by pressing into the surface of the ground as the machine advances forward will prevent the said wheel from slipping. As the elevation and depression of the teeth gives a reciprocating motion to the shaft 0 I make a suitable projection on the center o-f the rear side of the wheel m and bolt a stay to the lever n as shown at S Fig. l so that the end e of the stay embraces the shaft o and resting against the wheel a," will effectually keep both wheels on this shaft from retreating from the teeth of those into which they are geared.

Immediately in front of the revolving rake and over the fore part of the teeth is mounted what I term a shield made from a strip of board tive or more inches wide and in length equal to the width of the machine. This shield is represented in Figs. l, 2 and .f3 (in Fig. 3 it assumes a concave shape) at F. To each of the front ends of the arms n is bolted in an upright position a strip of board L into which there is cut a slot S2 Fig. 6. Into this slot are slipped the ends of the shield F Figs. 1 and 2 by which means it is made adjustable to the teeth and rake, for it is apparent it can be moved either backward or forward by adjusting the board L to different holes bored into its lower end as seen at Fig. 6 at a2, and that the lower edge of the shield can be elevated or depressed to any height above the teeth, by adjusting it as required in the slots7 and that its front surface can be made to assume any angle with the teeth required by simply pressing it in that direction. This shield is used and applied for the purpose of allowing only the heads of clover to come within reach of the operation of the revolving rake and to exclude as far as possible the stems or hay of cloveritogether with tall grass and weeds and thereby to make the machine more perfect in its operation. In order to effect this more fully I also use a bottom adjustable shield generally immediately underneath the teeth which I attach by inserting three or more tenons into the stock m. They project forward about an inch and a half7 parallel to the teeth and are about an inch in breadth. The shield is about an inch and a half in breadth and of suitable thickness, having three or more depressions cut into it which are filled up by the tenons when the shield is inserted between the tenons and teeth as shown in Fig. 8. It admits of a movement to or from the stock m and is adjustable to such a position that when the stems of clover are temporarily arrested by the top shield in their progress to the rear end of the interstices between the teeth, the lower shield will prevent them from bowing up through the interstices and thereby prevent these parts from coming in contact with the knives of the rake.

Fig. 7 represents an improved form of teeth in which the stop c formed by a termination of the interstices between the teeth and placed near the middle of the concave instead of the rear end of the concave as before described. A projection a2 is cast to the lower surface of the teeth which subserves a similar purpose to that of the bottom shield. If the dotted straight line in the figure be taken for a stem of clover the operation and eifect of the bottom shield or projection can easily be understood. The same thing may be effected by stretching a rod or rods of iron across the teeth above or below the teeth in manner similar as described. To prevent the stems of clover from sticking fast at the rear end of the interstices in the teeth after the heads are cut oil' and thereby increase the tendency of an accumulation of vegetable matter in the interstices, immediately beneath the action of the knives I make said interstices terminate in a small round hole or of the form of the letter V somewhat larger than the average width of the intersticesl as shown in Fig. 9.

What I claim as of my invention and deside to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. The hinged board A in combination with the movable cutter frame and the platform C as herein set forth.

2. I claim the shield F, the same beingy the cutting reel.

JOHN KRAUSER. Witnesses:

CYRUS KRAUSER, JOHN N. ANDERSON. 

